Gifts
by brukleflesche
Summary: Every so often, a certain someone shows up on Erutis’ birthday . . . .


**Disclaimer:** The series _Demon Diary **does not**_ belong to me.

**Rated for:** Imagery and adult situations.

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**Gifts  
**©2005 by Kei

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She is just a child, a child with long, brilliant red hair, entrancing emerald eyes, and a little, bony, androgynous child's body. 

He is more than a human, a demon with long, golden ringlets, piercing hazel eyes, and a tall, lithe, slim body.

"It's my bihfday today," she chirps, beaming.

"How old are you?" he asks.

"Dis many!" she crows triumphantly, holding up four fingers to indicate she now has the matching number of years of life under her belt.

"What presents did you get?" he asks.

"Papa got me a sohd!" she exclaims, her smile growing even broader. "I'll become a sohd mastah and kill all da eebull demon lohds!"

He frowns. "Why do you want to kill all the demon lords?" he asks.

"Dey took my mama, plus dey do lotsa eebull stuff like huht people and aminals!" she says fiercely.

"What if a demon lord loved you?" he asks.

"A demon lohd can't love, dat's impwossibibble," she scoffs, absolute belief coloring her small voice.

"What if _I_ loved you?" he asks.

"Den dat's okay, becawz you'ah a nice man," she replies, her grin returning and her green eyes sparkling.

_Then she wakes up._

_She wakes up alone._

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She looks awkward, still so skinny and androgynous, even more so with her shortened hair and boy's clothes. She appears ungainly, yet when a sword is in her hand she is more fluid than water, dancing a ballet with her weapon. 

He looks exactly the same as he did ten years ago.

"It's my birthday today," she says quietly, her practice blade singing through the air like it could slice time into ribbons.

"How old are you?" he asks.

"Fourteen," she answers solemnly.

"What presents did you get?" he asks.

"A beating for insolence to my instructor, a punch in the jaw from a classmate, and menstrual blood all over my pants," she replies, sweat dripping into her eyes. "When I am a sword master, I'll kill the demon lords and then I'll kill the humans who've wronged me."

"May I give you a present?" he asks.

"What kind of present?" she returns with suspicion, stopping to mop her brow and also to look at him. "I don't even know you."

"What if I know you?" he asks.

"Then that's a little creepy," she tells him, eyeing him warily.

"What if I _love_ you?" he asks.

"Then you're the only one who does," she says softly. If he is some twisted criminal obsessed with her, she no longer cares.

"I hope I won't always be," he says, leaning down swiftly to kiss her heat-flushed cheek.

She gasps, looks up, but he has gone.

_Then she wakes up._

_She wakes up alone._

* * *

Her breasts will ever be small, and her preference for trousers and tunics will ever render her sexless, but to him she is glorious with her fiery hair and gemlike eyes. 

He is still the same, will always and ever be the same.

"It's my birthday today," she says, making a point of not meeting his topaz gaze.

"How old are you?" he asks.

"Very old," she says sardonically.

"What presents did you get?"

"Chocolates from Raenef, a fancy new tunic from Eclipse, and prayer beads from Chris," she informs him. "And a stupid, lovesick demon lord on my doorstep."

He smiles shamelessly. "You know I'll never be cured of this lovesickness, don't you?" he asks.

"I don't know," she answers carelessly.

"What if I show you?" he asks, his eyes half-lidded, his expression suddenly very sensuous.

"What if I ask you to please, please go away?" she retorts, but her voice is weary, her stance defeated.

"What if I can't?" he asks, for once serious. She fears looking into his eyes, so frightened of the truth she might find there.

"Then you should try harder," she tells him, trying to sound forceful.

"Oh, my love," he whispers, stepping closer to her, invading her personal space, "you are so cruel."

Finally her eyes are lured to his. Her face crumples and a single tear tumbles down her cheek. He is quick to swoop down and press his lips over the liquid diamond.

"You ruined me!" she cries, her hands clenching into fists. "Demons took my parents and my happiness, but I still lived for my vendetta! Then I met Raenef and became his friend, and then _you_ came along and made me—" She stops abruptly, realizing she has said too much.

"I made you what?" he inquires silkily.

She is silent. His heart aches.

"You don't have to fight anymore, Erutis," he murmurs gently. "You are a sword master, and you are strong, but you don't have to fight anymore. So stop fighting and tell me, what did I make you do?"

She looks so indescribably sad as she says, "You made me fall in love with you."

He cannot abide her anguish. He flips his hair over his shoulder with a flourish and says, "Well, I am hard to resist, being so gorgeous. It was only a matter of time before you requited my love, dear Erutis. Now I shall whisk you away to my castle and we shall live there in bliss until the end of our days!" He proceeds to pull a lute out of nowhere and begins strumming it while warbling off-key a silly song about kissing, love, marriage, and a baby carriage.

"Stupid Lord Fancy Pants," Erutis mutters, but she can't keep a smile from curling upon her face. He sees it, stops singing, and embraces her.

After a time, he pulls away and slides a silver ring studded with tiny cut emeralds around the third finger of her left hand. She stares at it for a moment, then looks up at him.

"My present to you this year is my hand in marriage," he announces before kissing her soundly.

_Then she wakes up._

_She looks over and sees her husband snoozing beside her, his gold curls somewhat flattened by sleep, his slumbering countenance guileless._

_The life inside her kicks. She looks over to where her sword hangs on the wall. Pressing her palm against her rounded abdomen, she knows she will teach her child how to fight, how to become a sword master, and how to kill demons._

_But she will also teach this child that not all demons are evil, that some are capable of loving and worthy of having that love returned._

**-finis-**

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_NOTES:_

My initial intention for this was to make it very dark and disturbing, but it wound up being— well, you can see for yourself. It's not too horrible, really, if I do say so myself. I love Krayon/Erutis! I'm sad that there aren't more stories devoted to this couple.

Thank you for reading! I would be much obliged if you would leave a review.


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